Hunter can’t escape them, so he sets out to understand them. Why do they follow him? What are they trying to tell him?

In this first installment of the Master of Perceptions series, pre-teen Hunter discovers that every sensation the demons produce—whether it be sight, sound, texture, flavor, or smell—has a different meaning. And that by breaking this code, he just might be able to harness their power.

red splotch near my wrist, which hung at a strange
angle in relationship to the arm above it. I

knew something was wrong, but I didn’t remember what
happened or why it looked like that

now. Thoughts of any kind barely registered amid the
uproar of activity that attacked my senses.

The pandemonium only worsened when a woman dressed
in loose-fitting pajamas approached.

She brought warm demons of white and orange. When
she called, “Hunter Miller,” my mother

responded with a wave.

We walked away from the dozen or so demon-infested
people to another room, which

made it slightly easier to think. The shock of
surviving in this chaotic world so long rattled

through me just like the demons themselves. I rarely
lasted more than a few moments in this

terrifying universe, and it felt like hours already.

The woman looked at me. “Hi, Hunter. How old are
you?”

I didn’t look at her. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t
speak.

“He’s nine,” my mother said.

“What brings you into the Emergency Department?” the
woman asked as she turned

toward my mother.

“Hunter is a special-needs child, and he fell off
the bed, landing on his hand. Like this,”

my mother said, as she held her arm out in front of
her, miming a fall onto her outstretched hand.

About the Author

DARIN C. BROWN spent the last twenty years saving lives as an emergency medicine physician in New Hampshire and Maine. His master’s degree in biomedical engineering and PhD in biophysics helped him conceptualize Hunter’s astounding capabilities. When he’s not writing, he directs Murder Mystery Dinner Theater, including the biannual shows on the Conway Scenic Railroad. In addition to his varied academic interests, he competes at the national level in master’s track. He currently resides in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with his wife, Dr. Sandra Brown, and their many pets.